McMullen Development BlogReal Estate Development and Consulting2013-06-07T14:52:48Zhttp://mcmullendevelopment.com/blog/feed/atom/WordPressAdministratorhttp://www.mcmullendevelopment.comhttp://mcmullendevelopment.com/blog/?p=1922013-06-07T14:52:48Z2013-05-08T16:54:43Z

Following the completion of its extensive research, focus groups, and with the help of numerous consultants and thought leaders on aging and retirement, McMullen Development through its associated company Wisdom Ventures LLC, has developed and will launch in the fourth quarter of 2013 a product to be named “The Wisdom Navigator”. This announcement was made Jan. 30th following the completion of the strategic review process done annually.

All research by McMullen Development and Wisdom Ventures as well as Bank of America / Merrill Lynch, Harris Interactive, Age Wave and others on the aging population in the U.S. with focus on the 78 million “Baby Boomer” cohort, leads to one principal conclusion:

“This Cohort is the healthiest and wealthiest generation in history, but also substantially unprepared for their expected longevity and related retirement; they are simply overwhelmed by the planning process”

The Wisdom Navigator will serve this large and growing market to assist all recently retired and pre-retirees in preparing for and planning their retirement. The theme of “Dream – Plan – Live” has been adopted:

The Navigator will become the first to market with a self-directed, personalized, and free service to its users. It will provide a comprehensive set of automated, on-line financial dashboards, budgeting tools, and individualized and personal content aggregation all designed to assist the users to enhance their life and plan for retirement. It will offer a personalized expanded breath of products and services beyond financial dashboards to a broad range of guides and content on the topics of, health and wellness, employment, volunteerism, travel, and where to retire.

The mission and goal of the Navigator is – “To become the trusted advisor and relied upon resource to professionally guide its users in the next phase of their lives and into retirement.”

The Wisdom Navigator target audience is looking forward to their “bonus Years”, and planning for the opportunities that lay head. However, many don’t know what to expect or how to successfully manage a long, complex and ever-changing retirement. The well-publicized increase in longevity of life also brings worries about outliving their money, their health and health care cost, their dependence on family, their long term quality of life, and the potential of being isolated and lonely. All of these concerns are real and universal. The Navigator will become an indispensable resource and thought leader to help its users to more fully understand these challenging questions, critical issues, and as a tool to gain clarity of the possibilities and risks. The Navigator will also be a much needed tool for users to stay current and updated on their individual plan and to assist them in making needed course corrections as circumstances change.

]]>0Administratorhttp://www.mcmullendevelopment.comhttp://mcmullendevelopment.com/blog/?p=1602013-05-08T17:30:47Z2012-12-01T21:59:46ZAs a testamate to the success of the Emerald Grande project, Peter Bos has been named the 2011 Florida Hotelier of the Year. You can learn more about McMullen Development’s work with Emerald Grande by reviewing our Emerald Grande Case Study here.

Below is a reprint of the original article.

Peter Bos, CEO of Legendary Inc., was recently named Hotelier of the Year by the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association.

It was the first time someone based exclusively in Northwest Florida received the recognition, said Carol Dover, the association’s CEO.

“I viewed it as not only what an unbelievable recognition,” Bos said of the award. “The competition to be Hotelier of the Year in a state with more hotels than any other state, with that competition to be singled out … by that peer group was extra special. It was the nicest award that I have every received. It’s the highest reward I can get in my career field.

“It’s not me,” he added. “This is all about the people who worked for me because they have done it. I may have had the idea, but they all made it happen.”

Dover said Bos and Legendary stepped up as leaders in the state hotel industry following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010.

“Peter and Bruce (Crual, Legendary’s chief operating officer) and his hotel, particularly with the oil spill, were front and center, always offering their site for meetings and getting (Gulf Coast Claims Facility Administrator Ken) Feinberg in,” Dover said. “There was a lot of dedication on behalf of Peter and his team for everything from the oil spill to legislative issues, anything that impacts the industry they have always been there.

“They have made a huge impact in our association,” she added.

Past winners of the Hotelier of the Year award include Harris Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando and Frank Flautt, who owns several hotels, including the Hilton Sandestin and Mariott in Panama City.

Bos said his recognition shows that Northwest Florida is a competitive region with Central and South Florida.

“We can hold our head high and we can compete in any market. We’re as good as anywhere, anytime,” Bos said.

DESTIN — During the past year, while area realtors rethought their marketing and sales strategies during a difficult real estate market, the staff of the Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village has had an above average sales year.

“People do need to hear that the sky isn’t falling and that there is something that’s selling,” said Gail Sawyer, the real estate marketing coordinator for Legendary Inc., which developed The Emerald Grande on the southwestern corner of Destin. “It’s not perfect, but it’s great.”

Sales of condominium units in Emerald Grande have been anything but flat, with the units maintaining their value during a market when sellers face difficulty getting a return on their real estate investment.

A big part of the Emerald Grande’s real estate success, said Executive Vice President for Legendary Realty Ed McMullen, is the overall product provided by Legendary Inc.

“Emerald Grande, and this is just one man’s point of view, since 2007 Emerald Grande has probably been the guiding light for real estate in the area because if it didn’t do well, everyone else would have suffered,” McMullen said. “If you look at Emerald Grande as a whole, a community embraces it as a way to celebrate its access to the harbor.”

HarborWalk Village, located at the mouth of the Destin Harbor and just yards from the Emerald Grande’s eastern tower, offers shopping and dining for the community as a whole. Its views of the harbor and the Gulf of Mexico create a backdrop for visitors and residents who enjoy what Destin offers.

Between Destin and South Walton, Emerald Grande has been among the top selling condo choices for buyers in 2009, with total sales of 20 units as of early in December. McMullen set himself a goal to close out the year with even more sales. The sales of those units generated occupancy, which brought tourist dollars to the community. In October, generally a quiet tourist time along the Gulf Coast, Emerald Grande’s occupancy ran about 70 percent, with many of the visitors coming to the area for weddings.

Despite the attraction of Emerald Grande’s amenities such as HarborWalk, the restaurants and the condo’s health club and spa, it is also the individual value of each condo unit that appeals to investors.

“Emerald Grande has a higher average price than any individual property anywhere on the Emerald Coast,” McMullen said.

The developer has units still for sale, but re-sale units are also available.

“We have a very viable secondary market here. We’re selling re-sales all the time,” McMullen said.

Emerald Grande features two 13-story towers with 286 units. Layouts include one-bedroom/one-bath plans up to four-bedroom/four-bath plans. Floor plans feature open space rather than a shotgun layout.

Square footage begins at 836 and can go up to 1,700. Prices on units vary depending upon the size, location and whether the units are offered by the developer or as short sales. They start around $430,000 and go up to the mid $2 million mark. The prices apply to whole listings, but Emerald Grande also offers fractional ownerships.

While planning its marketing strategy, Legendary conducted focus group research, which showed that buyers wanted resort like comfort and amenities for a portion of the starting price range that comes with individual unit ownership. The combination of Legendary’s own research with national averages spurred the sale of fractional ownership in Emerald Grande.

“You can see the average use of a second home is 22 to 24 days out of a year,” McMullen said. Furthermore, he continued, the week-long stay in second homes has become a thing of the past, with long weekends or three- to four-day stays becoming the norm.

With an Emerald Grande fractional, each owner receives two weeks of condo use each summer and four other weeks throughout the year. An internal exchange also exists, so owners can trade weeks with other fractional owners.

Fractionals allow owners a deeded purchase with ownership privileges, but with a focus on the actual time that they owners can viably use the second home property. In addition to the purchase savings available to buyers, McMullen said that fractionals, right now, have a strong secondary market. Emerald Grande fractionals, in 2009, have been sold starting around $65,000 and going up to $240,000. For information about Emerald Grande real estate whole and fractional sales, contact Legendary Realty Inc. at 337-8800. To reach real estate marketing coordinator Gail Sawyer by e-mail, write to gsawyer@legendaryinc.com. To reach Legendary Realty Executive Vice President Ed McMullen by e-mail, write to emcmullenjr@legendaryinc.com.

]]>0Administratorhttp://www.mcmullendevelopment.comhttp://mcmullendevelopment.com/blog/?p=1072010-01-08T15:51:49Z2009-11-25T19:31:11ZEd McMullen Sr was featured in the October 2009 Perspective Magazine article as a Pioneer of the Timeshare Industry along with Keith Trowbridge, Allen Ten Broek, John Sweeney and Kemmons Wilson.

We are excited about the new opportunities that we are pursuing and looking forward to sharing those with you soon. For now, please take a tour through our website and let us know what you think. If you are looking for the full story on what we do and how we do it, please start here. Don’t forget to click the green arrow to move through the site! You might also want to check out our Emerald Grande Case Study, which discusses in detail our involvement with this Legendary project in Destin, Florida. If you are looking for the full history of our company, please visit our McMullen History section. Finally, if you are looking for our bios, please click here.

Thanks for visiting and check back with our home page every so often to see what new projects we are working on.

The Interior Design for Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village by HHCP Architects and Raleigh Design Receives ARDA Award

Emerald Grande Lobby

MAITLAND, FL (April 24, 2008) – The interior design for Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village by Maitland-based Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock/Architects in collaboration with Winter Park’s Raleigh Design has received a 2008 ARDA Gold Award from the American Resort Development Association. Developed by Legendary, Inc., of Destin, Florida, Emerald Grande’s 281 resort residences include both fractional and whole ownership units – a new concept for the Destin area.

The ARDA Awards Program recognizes professional excellence in the resort industry. A jury of industry peers reviewed over a thousand entries in thirteen main categories that included management, advertising, marketing, and design. The Legendary-HHCPRaleigh Design team won top honors – the Gold Award for interior design of the common areas of the Emerald Grande Hotel & Resort.

Nestled along 14.7 acres on the Destin Harbor, Emerald Grande offers a luxurious vacation-home experience with hotel-style services and amenities, all in a beautiful, relaxing setting. Opened in the summer of 2007, the resort’s design reflects Legendary President Peter Bos’ vision to create a landmark structure that would celebrate Destin’s natural beauty and rich heritage as a fishing village. Interiors, which reflect a turn-of the century southern yacht club, are eclectic, warm and inviting, with furniture full of character. According to John M. Purdy, AIA, Vice President and Senior Designer for HHCP, the resort’s grand lobby exemplifies this vision and offers a compelling public space with solid hardwood floors, custom world globe chandeliers, oil paintings depicting the flora and fauna of the area, and a 15-foot compass rose floor inlay of exotic woods, granite, and polished brass. Emerald Grande anchors the evolving HarborWalk Village, which is destined to become the northern Gulf Coast’s most exciting retail and resort complex.

Emerald Grande Master Bedroom

About HHCP
An innovator in architecture and a major player in Central Florida’s growth and development for more than three decades, HHCP has evolved into an international design leader with diverse projects in 30 nations worldwide. Founded in 1975 by four partners, HHCP today has more than 95 talented, diverse team members located in Orlando, Florida, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Beijing, China. The architectural design firm offers clients a unique breadth and depth of expertise through wide-ranging practiceareas, including planning/mixed use, themed entertainment and hospitality, health facilities, residential community and retirement resort. For more information, visit www.HHCP.com.

About Raleigh Design
Raleigh Design is a commercial interior design firm based in Winter Park, Florida. Founded in 1973, the firm designs well-detailed, hand crafted and romantic interiors for restaurants, clubs, hotels and resorts throughout the US and the Caribbean. The technical and creative staff at Raleigh Design creates theme-specific environments for companies that strive for unique brand identity and broad market appeal. For many years Raleigh Design has been providing consulting services to the Central Florida leisure, entertainment and hospitality markets. Their client list contains such industry leaders as Disney, Universal, Hard Rock, Warner Bros., Marriott Hotels and Darden Restaurants. Raleigh Design has completed over 550 projects totaling over six million square feet. They have taken the skills learned from many years of working with the theme parks, movie studios, and attractions, apply this knowledge to the design of interiors to create a memorable guest experience. Visit www.RALEIGHDESIGN.com

Grande Vista Bar at Emerald Grande

About Legendary
Legendary, Inc. is headquartered in Destin, Florida and holds a diversified portfolio including a Resorts Division, a Realty Division and a Marina Division. With enterprises such as Emerald Grande, Legendary Marine, HarborWalk Village, Regatta Bay Golf and Country Club and Destin Commons, the company’s diversity and expertise has produced numerous successful Destin area projects. The company stands strong behind its mission to provide “legendary experiences which exceed the expectations of visitors and residents along the North Gulf Coast.” Visit www.legendaryinc.com or www.emeraldgrande.com